Improvement in low-water indicators



diluted statte the.

tutti Letters Patent No. 91,769,1Zcted June 22, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN LOW-WATER. INDICATORS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD I). Pnrronnnn, of the city, county, and Statev of New York, have invented a new and improved Gauge and Alarm for Steam-Boilers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, vwhich will enable those skilled inthe art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, in which drawing- Figure 1 represents a vert-ical central section of this invention.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section of the same.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to a gauge and alarm which is so constructed that au alarm will be sounded whenever the water in the steam-generator gets low, or whenever the water in the gauge-tube is allowed to waste while steam'is up. y

The invention consists in the arrangement of a perforated plunger in the bottom end; of the gauge-tube, in combination with a valve in the top end thereof, and below thealarm-whistle, and with a ball, which, whenever the water in the gauge-tube sinks down be-V low the plunger, serves as a valve, closing up'lthe perforation in said plunger iri such a manner, that whenever the water in the boiler gets low, the valve 1eading to the whistle will be opened automatically by the action of the steam on t-heI plunger, and the alarm will be sounded.

The stop-cock which controls the water-connection with the boiler, is so constructed that whenever the water-connection is closed; the water-pipe of the gauge is opened, the gauge-tube is emptied, and the alarm is sounded, and thereby the engineer or `tireman is pre.- vented from shutting oli' the water-connection of the gauge without being detected. i

The stem or spindle which supports the alarm-whistle ismade tubular, 'and provided with a plunger, which .connects with anindicator in the otiice of the building in which the steam-boiler is placed, in such a manner 4that whenever a current of steam passes through the whistle, the indicator is moved, and caused to .exhibit the fact that the alarm sounds.

' With the gauge-tube is combined a steamrauge, which takes its steam from the interior of said gaugetube, so that whenever the steam-connection between the gauge-tube and the boiler is shut olf, the steamgauge will point to zero, and the fact that the alarmgauge has been tampered with will be apparent at a glance.

In the drawing, the letter A designates a gauge tube, made of glass or any other transparent*material, and fastened, at its ends, in the brackets B B', the joints being made steam and water-tight by Indiarubber or other suitable packing.

The lower bracketB, is bored out, to receive the plunger a, and it is provided with a channel, b, which leads to the interior of the boiler, and is situated on a level with or below the low-water lineof the boiler.

Said channel is fitted with a stop-cock, c, which is operated by a screw-thread, d, and which 4isprovided Iwith two channels, e f, one extending transversely through it, andthe other being angular, extending from the inner end of the plug of the stop-cock, and out through one side thereof, as shown in the drawing.

The plunger c is also provided with a central channel, y, which is ,in line with the waste-channel -hin the bottom part of the bracket B.

It' the stop-cock is so adj usted that the side-opening of the channel fis in line with the channel g in the plunger, the gauge-tube is in communication with. the water-space ofthe boiler; but if the stop-cock is turned in, so as to shut off the water-connection of the gaugetube, the channel c comes in line with the channel g of the plunger .and with the waste-channel h of the bracket, and the water in the gauge-tube runs ont.

The bracket B is bored out, and provided with a pipe, t', which forms the steam-connection o' the gaugetube, and a stop-cock, la, secured in said pipe t, serves to open or close vthe steam-connection of the gaugetnbe at will.

In the upper part of the bracket B', above the steamconnection pipe i, is a seat, l, iitted with a Valve, m which is drawn np by a spring, n..

C is a steam-gauge, which connects with the bracket B', below its valve m, by means of4 a pipe, o. This steam-gauge may be'situated either in the engine-room, oriu the oice of the building or factory in which the steam-boiler is located.

The 'valve fm connects, by rods p, with the plunger a in the lower bracket, and the area of the plunger is somewhat larger than that of the valve, so that if steam is admitted to the gauge-tube while the lower or outer surface of the plunger is relieved from pressure, the valve will be opened automatically bythe action of'the steam on the plunger c, and the steam will escape through the opening, q, iu the top of the bracket B', vThis opening is surmounted by a steam-whistle, D, the stem or spindle fr of which is hollow, and closed on its top by a valve, s, which is depressed on its seat by a spring, t.

` From this valve -extends a rod,u, which is intended to connect with a suitable indicator in the cnice.

The lower part of the spindle ris perforated, to allow the steam admitted through the valve-m. to pass into the whistle D, and to sound the alarm.

The rods p also serve as guides for a spherical float,

c, which indicates the level of the water in the gauge tube, and which, when permitted to sink down, acts asa valve, closing the channel g in the plunger a.

The gauge-tube A is surrounded by a jacket, E, of

sheet-metal or other suitable material, and said jacket is provided with one or more windows, w, through which the level ofthe water in the gauge-tube can be observed.

The operation is as follows:

1f the steam and waterconnections o'f the gaugetube are opened, the water in said gauge-tube will rise to alevel with the water in the boiler, the iioat v being buoyed up, as shown in full outlines in fig. 1.

If the water in the boiler sinks below the plunger a, the valve m is opened by the pressure ofthe steam on said plunger, and the :darm is sounded.

It' the engineerl or fireman, in order to conceal his negligence, should turn oit` the steam-connection and the water-connection, the steam-gauge will recede to zero, and show the negligence. Or if' he should turn off the water-connection, he will, at the sume instant, open the waste-channel 71., the gauge-tube empties, and the alarm is sounded. l

The steam rushing up through the hollow spindle, of the whistle, also acts on the valve s,zu1d byraiising said valve, actuates the indicator, and thereby the :tt-

tention of yparties in the oice is called to the fact that something is wrong with the steam-boiler.

Having thus described my invention,

That I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The plunger a and valve lm, connected together by rods p, in combination with the spherical float vfmd gauge-tube A, substantially es shown and described.

2. The stop-cock c, provided with channels e f, as described, in combination with the plunger a, float v, valve m, and gauge-tube A, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the steam-gauge C to the upper part of the gauge-tube, or the upper bracket B', as described.

4. The valve s, in combination with the ltubular 'spindle of the steam-whistle D, and with a rod, u, substantially as set forth.

EDWARD D. PRITCHARD.

Witnesses E. F. KASTENHUBER, C. WAHLERS. 

